Keaton's Secret Revealed
by Maria65
Summary: Due to the rise in demonic energy, Keaton suddenly begin's having problems, and tries to avoid the other's. Lloyd follows her after she goes to be alone, only to see her transform into her old self. Exactly what will happen when Keaton's dark past catches up to her present self? Rated M for lots of blood, language, and horrific theme's, Keaton belongs to me.


Keaton looked up at the full moon, fear striking her hard and fast, and she looked over her shoulder at the group behind her. Lloyd, Colette, Zelos, Sheena, Regal, Persea, Genis, and Raine were all either asleep, or awake and talking around a small fire. Lloyd was up arguing about who was the best cook in the group with Zelos; Genis was playing with his kendama beside a sleeping Persea; Regal was asleep as was Sheena; Raine was reading a book while making sure Colette was asleep. Keaton sighed, and looked away, feeling the familiar sensation of demonic energy swirling within her heart. Suddenly, her head began throbbing in pain, and she stood up, shaking her head from side-to-side, feeling the pressure get worse.

 _'N-No...I can't let them see me like this.'_ Keaton thought, and gave a vicious snarl; catching Lloyds' attention.

"Keaton, you okay?" He questioned, catching the others, who were awake, attention as well.

Keaton stiffened, a snarl still on her face, but she didn't turn, nor did she try to make a sound. Suddenly the throbbing went away, and she shook her head a few times, and looked at Lloyd and the others, trying to mask the sorrow, but Lloyd still saw it.

 _'What's up with her? Lately, she's been down in the dumps, almost like Colette was...'_ Lloyd thought in sadness and worry, praying to everything above and below that nothing wrong was going on with Keaton.

"I'm fine Lloyd, don't worry." Keaton said, yet her voice sounded a bit darker, worrying Lloyd even more.

"Are you sure?" Zelos asked this time, sitting up more straight; giving her a serious look.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just leave me alone about it." Keaton snapped out and walked off, hoping they didn't see her glowing eyes.

 _'Damn you Niflheim, always trying to take control back. Why can't you let me go?!'_ Keaton thought in anger.

"Hm...I'm gonna follow Keaton. I don't believe her, and I wanna make sure she's alright." Lloyd said, and that's when Raine spoke.

"Should something turn disastrous, don't hesitate to shout for our help." Raine stated, and Lloyd nodded, running after Keaton.

 **With Keaton:** Keaton was panting by the time she reached a small clearing with a pond, and the moon fluttering into the clearing.

"Dammit Niflheim...leave me alone!" Keaton shouted, destroying a tree with fire, but she was filled with fear when she saw the fire was black.

"No...no, no, no, no, no, no, no. T-this can't b-be right! Ratatosk...he-he swore that this w-wouldn't h-happen again. I-I can't be reverting b-back into a-a demon." Keaton stutter and sniffled out, fear and dread welling in her heart.

She laid down, and curled herself into a ball, feeling the grasp of fear take hold harshly of her heart.

"Oh Tenebrae...I wish you were here." Keaton whispered out, a tear slipping past her barrier.

"Who's Tenebrae?" a voice asked, and Keaton gasped, looking up to see Lloyd.

"L-Lloyd, why're you here?" Keaton questioned, and Lloyd walked toward her, concern written all over his face.

"I'm worried about you Keaton. Lately...you've been distancing yourself from everyone, and I wanna know why. No more avoiding the questioned, no more shallow answer's. I want the truth. How else are we supposed to trust each other if you can't trust me to help you?" Lloyd questioned, and Keaton sniffled, fear stilling holding her heart.

"I...I can't. I swore to myself never to tell anyone a certain side of me...one...that would kill everyone I love." Keaton stated, and Lloyd glared at her...she avoided the question again.

"Keaton, give me a straight answer!" Lloyd demanded, anger in his brown eye's.

"I can't, don't you understand?! I would rather die than tell someone about what I really am!" Keaton shouted back, defending her identity.

"Dammit Keaton, can't you see your like my sister?! How you're family?!" Lloyd shouted, back getting more angry.

"Maybe I can, maybe I can't! What's the difference if I am, or aren't?!" Keaton shouted back, getting angry as well.

"What the hell is wrong with you lately?! I'm starting to think I don't understand you anymore!" Lloyd shouted, tears starting to appear in his eyes.

"Well, well, well, looks who's getting emotional all of a sudden! Just leave me the hell alone about what I am, and worry about your own, god-damn self!" Keaton shouted, but darkness was heavy in her voice as was the malice intent.

Both Lloyd and Keaton went silent in shock about what Keaton just said. Keaton was silent because she couldn't believe she sounded like that, and Lloyd was silent because he was saddened at what she said. He sighed, lowering his head slightly, and his eyes dropping in sadness.

"I...I understand. I'll...I'll leave you alone." Lloyd said, when suddenly he heard Keaton whimper, and he turned around to see her crying.

"I-I'm so s-sorry L-Lloyd. I...I didn't mean it." Keaton said, and Lloyd gave her a sad smile.

"Hey, it's okay." Lloyd said, unaware of the huge shadow behind him.

"Hm? LLOYD WATCH OUT!" Keaton cried out, but was too late.

Lloyd turned around, and cried out in pain as a monster sank it's fangs into his right shoulder, and Keaton screamed Lloyds' name, alerting the others, who weren't too far away, that something was wrong. Keaton ran toward the creature, and attacked it, unaware that her fox fire was black.

"Lloyd, are you okay?" Keaton asked as the monster retreated, and Lloyd coughed out blood, before looking up.

"Y-yeah...I think." Lloyd said, but suddenly pushed Keaton out of the way as the monster, which looked to be a dragon, hit Lloyd with it's tail.

"LLOYD!" Keaton shouted as Lloyds' back connected with a tree.

An audible _crunch_ was heard as Lloyd screamed, and held his right arm as the beast stalked toward Lloyd. Suddenly the pressure was on Keaton again, and she growled, lowering her head as her eyes glowed red.

 _'No...not again. Not in front of Lloyd...please...NO!'_ Keaton thought, but it was futile.

Keaton suddenly howled as black fog surrounded her, covering her body, and her eyes went completely red and glowing, looking like two burning orbs in smoke. She snarled a vicious snarl that belonged to no monster, and she looked at the beast before her to see it's attention on her. Keaton smirked, and gave a wicked laugh, even as Lloyd watched in disbelief as his best friend, his sister, transformed into what seemed to be a demon.

"Haahaahaa, look what we have here; a pitiful monster after pitiful prey. Oh, how amusing that you weak monsters must go after humans now." Keaton said, an ominous, seductive, mature, yet evil voice ringing forth from her mouth.

The beast growled at her, and attacked, but Keaton merely side-stepped, and the beast fell forward, before Keaton attacked. She lunched toward its back, and tore one wing off, listening as the dragon roared in pain, before she ripped the other wing off, and jumped away, watching as it writhed in pain.

"Now that is more becoming of a weak, pathetic monster like yourself." Keaton stated, and Lloyd watched with horrorified eyes as he saw a sadistic smile cover Keatons' face.

"Now...what else can I do to make you suffer?" Keaton questioned, even as the others appeared.

"Keaton, stop torturing it!" Lloyd said, reaching for her, but fell to the ground from the pain of his broken arm.

"Lloyd!" Colette shouted, and ran toward him as did the others.

"What happened to her?" Sheena asked Lloyd, who only watched with horrorified eyes as Keaton ripped the horns off the dragon.

"Has she lost her mind?!" Zelos questioned Lloyd, who began trembling.

"Lloyd?" Regal questioned as tears appeared in Lloyds' eyes.

"Say something Lloyd." Raine said, shaking him a bit.

Keaton aimed for the dragon throat, and put it out of it's misery by ripping it out, before landing before the others, the dragon falling lifeless behind her, and Keaton dropped the flesh before her, and stretched.

"Not even a challenge." Keaton said, before Lloyd exploded.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" Lloyd shouted, brown eyes burning in anger.

"What do you mean? I was only playing with it." Keaton stated, the fog darkening around her.

"You didn't have to torture it!" Zelos shouted, glaring at her, and Keaton yawned, blood dripping from her mouth.

"Who are you all anyways? I bore of this." Keaton said, snarling at them.

"Keaton, what happened to you?" Colette said, walking toward her.

"Colette, don't!" Genis shouted by Raine stopped him.

"Don't touch me!" Keaton threatened, and back up, growling at Colette.

Colette flinched away, but then reached a hand toward her. Keaton felt a throbbing in her head, growled, and shot a black fox fire at Colette, but missed to her surprise.

"Wha-what the-?! GRAH! No, stop this is my body!" Keaton growled out as the glowing of her eyes ceased.

"What's going on with her?" Persea asked Lloyd.

"She...she transformed into what she is now...when that monster attacked. I don't know what's going on." Lloyd said, and held his arm tighter as it throbbed in pain.

"Don't touch me!" Keaton shouted, and bit into Colettes' shoulder when Colettes' hand touch her head.

"COLETTE!" Lloyd shouted in horror as Colette screamed in pain.

Keaton formed a black ring of fire around her and Colette before she whimpered and let Colette go, Colette holding her bleeding shoulder.

"Keaton...please return to us." Colette stated weakly, and Keaton whimpered.

"K...kill me..." Keaton said weakly, causing them all to look at her shocked.

"I...I don't know...h-how much longer I-I can hold...Niflheim off..." Keaton said, backing away, the fire leaving.

"Keaton..." Colette said, and hugged her, and Keaton howled, snarling.

"Colette run! She'll kill you!" Genis shouted, running toward her.

"No I won't! I won't abandon Keaton. She's always been there for us, so why can't we be there for her?!" Colette shouted, and hugged Keaton, even as Keaton struggled.

Suddenly, Lloyd ran toward them, and hugged Keaton with his good arm.

"Please Keaton...return to us." Lloyd said, and Keaton growled, her eyes glowing and black fire forming around them.

"Colette! Lloyd!" the other's shouted, before Keaton howled and her eyes stopped glowing, and the fog left her body, and the fire disappeared.

Keaton fell limp against Colette, causing the blonde to panic, but when Keaton stood, was relieved.

"Keaton, are you okay?" Colette asked, but when she saw Keatons' face, tears were streaming down the golden fox's face.

"I...I'm so sorry. You...you all should've-should've killed me." Keaton sniffled out, sobs making her body tremble.

"Keaton, we could never kill you." Colette reasoned as the others approached.

"Keaton, what happened?" Persea asked, and Keaton sighed.

Keaton soon explained that she never was a monster to begin with, but was actually a demon from the demonic realm, Niflheim. After the Centurion's got a hold of her though, they transformed her into a monster under the order's of the dark centurion, Tenebrae who is her original master. She also told them why she acted the way she did, and why she had been depressed recently. She had felt the growing power of demonic energy in the world, as well as the demonic energy growing within herself, causing Niflheim to connect to Keaton again, and revert her to a demon. Keaton then said that no matter what, she would use every ounce of strength within her to prevent her old self from taking over.

"So, the reason you reverted was because...?" Zelos trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"I had meant to disperse the demonic energy within me around the area, but I wasn't too sure how to do that. Then, after Lloyd was attacked, Niflheim felt my emotion's were raw, and that anger was building up within me, and used that to her advantage. She forced me into submission, and transformed me. I still had some control near the end, and was able to get my body back under my control." Keaton said, and lowered her head, backing up.

"Keaton?" Sheena questioned, and Keaton sniffled again.

"I'm a threat to you all. I could transform without a moment's notice, and kill you all. I'm a threat, a liability...I shouldn't be near you all. I...must leave." Keaton said, and turned to walk away, but Lloyd stopped her.

"Don't you dare walk away from me!" Lloyd shouted, and that rooted Keaton to the spot.

"You'll think I'll let you walk away; leave us behind?! Keaton, you're still our friend, our family!" Lloyd shouted, and Keaton looked at them shocked.

"He's right Keaton. You may not understand, but we still love you." Colette said, healing her shoulder, and Lloyds' arm.

"We still love you Keaton, no matter what you do, or who you are." Raine said, and healed Colette and Lloyd fully.

"Sis is right Keaton. You know what we are, and you accepted us for that. So we accept what you are." Genis said, giving a soft smile.

"We've been with you long enough to understand that things don't always go as they should. But, if we stick together, we can do anything. You taught us that." Sheena said, smiling gently at Keaton.

"Sheena is right, Keaton, you should listen to your own advice. Yeah, things get rough, and there's nothing we can do about it. But, with our combined strength, nothing is a challenge." Zelos said, smiling his signature grin.

"We all have past's we're not proud of, we have sin's we believe can't be forgiven, we have a side to us we want no one to see. But we have to trust in everyone, believe in ourselves, and love everyone in order to see that things can get better...as long as we believe in it." Regal said, his eyes showing the wisdom he has learnt.

"We understand that the past is tough, that something's are beyond our comprehension. That's why we must spend time with everyone, and understand those who we love, so that we may help them in the future." Persea said, giving a small smile.

"That's why we were so worried Keaton. You became distant, depressed, and seemed so lonely, and I was so worried that something was wrong with you. It doesn't matter to me what you are, what you once were, and what you've done in the past. This is the present, and it's who you are on the inside that count's. And do you want to know what I see?" Lloyd asked, and Keaton nodded.

"I see a woman who is scared of her past, but is willing to face her fears to help those she loves. I see a woman who is willing to put her life on the line so others may live, and I see my friend, my sister, who has helped me more than I can count, and who is always there, even when I tell her to run." Lloyd said, giving her his smile, and Keaton smiled, tears of joy springing forth, and she hugged Lloyd in her fox form, and nuzzled his face, sobs shaking her body, but he knew she was happy.

"Thank you...for showing me that there is a reason to my existence." Keaton said, and everyone crowded around her, hugging her, petting her, and telling her that they are there for her.

With them around, even facing Niflheim would never terrify her. And even though the past is terrifying, as long as they are around, Keaton knew she could overcome any obstacle.


End file.
